The Sunflower Showdown has gone the way of the Kansas State Wildcats for so long now that it’s hard to remember the last time the Kansas Jayhawks were actually competitive in this game, especially in Lawrence.
Sure there was 2018 in Manhattan, when K-State was mired in their last non-covid season without a bowl appearance. That was Bill Snyder’s last Sunflower Showdown, and the Wildcats still prevailed in Manhattan after David Beatty had been axed prior in the week. The last one before that was 2009, during KU’s “History Awaits” season (that we’re still waiting on), when the 5-3 Jayhawks travelled to Manhattan in Snyder’s return to the sidelines, and The Wizard exercised his magic in ending KU’s 3-game win streak.